Pro Handyman Blog

A wobbly bed frame is a straightforward carpentry repair, but you have to do a little checking before you repair it.

A bed frame typically has four parts, the head board, the foot board, and two side rails. The side rails will have two hooks coming out of each end that mate with matching rods in both the head board and foot board. The hooks fit over the rods that are recessed in the head and foot boards. If there is some play in between the parts, you will get movement.

You can minimize any movement with some brackets. Unfortunately, you don’t find out there is a problem until it is too late. Usually you will hear a “crack” and discover a problem. Installing some brackets will stiffen up the frame.

I like rigid brackets, such as Simpson strong ties. These are probably overkill, but if they are good enough for building houses, they are good enough for repairing wooden bed frames. You will have many choices here, but I generally install the largest size I can that will fit in the space. You will need to remove the mattress and box spring and install the brackets on the inside corners. They will be hidden by the box spring when installed. Pre-drill the holes and screw them into each piece. When the brackets have been installed, you can reinstall the mattress and box spring.

When the time comes that you need to disassemble the bed, you can unscrew just one side of the brackets and the bed will come apart as if the brackets had not been installed.